


The Magicea Deleo Curse

by HufflepuffMommy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Only One Bed, lost their magic, not muggle AU, quarantined
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:21:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23555245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HufflepuffMommy/pseuds/HufflepuffMommy
Summary: Summary: Hermione and Draco are hit with an unknown curse and she whisks them away to her safehouse to quarantine themselves… or the one where they are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no magic and only one bed!
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 35
Kudos: 454





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! In light of all this Covid-19 stuff going around I wanted to write a fun little quarantine fic. I was originally writing this for a fest that I saw on Tumblr, but the date for that came and went. I still wanted to write it though. It's nearly written and will probably be around four chapters total, but each chapter will be over 5k words. I hope you enjoy!  
> Remember, stay safe, stay at home, and wash your hands ;)  
> Huge shout out and love to TriDogMom who was my alpha and beta for this fic!

_**Day 1** _

"Granger, I have a case for you," Head Curse-breaker Williamson said as he stepped into her office, tossing a file onto her desk. "Draco Malfoy found something at his manor. He thinks it's cursed and wants someone to check it out."

Hermione looked at her boss curiously as she reached for the file. "Really? I thought all questionable artifacts were cleared from the manor years ago?"

Williamson shrugged. "Apparently he was going through stuff in his attic and found the item. Seems to be a few hundred years old."

Hermione read through the file quickly and gave a nod. "I'll head over there straight away." Glancing at her watch, she winced. "If it's nothing serious, I'll head home for the day. It's nearly five as it is and I promised Harry and Ginny I'd come over for dinner." She was lying, of course—Harry and Ginny were going away for the weekend, but her boss didn't know that and she knew if she didn't say anything, he'd expect her to come in later this evening.

"I appreciate it," Williamson said with a nod. "Come to my office first thing Monday morning and let me know what you find."

"Will do, sir," Hermione said as she rose from her seat and gathered her belongings.

A shiver ran up Hermione's spine as she appeared at the gates of Malfoy Manor, and it had nothing to do with the chill in the cold, January air. Sure, she had been here a few times since the war, having attended galas hosted by the Malfoy matriarch, but she could never quite forget what happened there during the war. Straightening her shoulders, she opened the gates and began her way to the front doors.

It had been five and a half years, and while the elder Malfoy was rotting in Azkaban, Draco and his mother, Narcissa, had been working hard to restore the Malfoy name into something more redeemable. They donated to nearly every charity, helped expand research and development at St. Mungo's, and assisted in the restoration of Hogwarts.

The castle was in pristine condition when Hermione returned for her eighth, and almost-too-quiet, year. Draco Malfoy hadn't returned but he did sit with his class during N.E.W.T. testing. He sat behind and to the left of her in the Great Hall where the testing took place and Hermione remembered glancing back a few times to study him. He looked healthier than the last time she had seen him at his trial, and she noticed he stood tall with pride once more. At one point, he glanced up and his eyes met hers. Instead of sneering like he always did, he gave her a quick nod and went back to his work.

Over the years, she saw Draco in the Ministry, usually during social events or if he was helping Harry and the other Aurors with a case. They even attended the same hangout at the Leaky sometimes and partook in idle small talk. Aside from that, she really wasn't sure what he did in his spare time.

Apparently it was going through the Manor's artifacts and finding possibly cursed objects.

Hermione approached the large doors of the Manor and raised her hand to knock, when the doors opened before she could even touch them. A small house-elf greeted her with a small bow and a squeaky, "Hello Miss. You must be's the curse breaker the master has requested."

Hermione smiled down at the elf and nodded, happy to see that the tea towel she wore looked clean and new and was large enough to cover her whole body.

"Yes, I am. Can you please tell Malfoy that I am here?"

"Yes, miss. Tippy will go gets him. Please wait here in the entryway."

With a pop, the elf was gone, and Hermione stood idly in the room, quietly assessing her surroundings.

The manor looked lovely and she knew that Narcissa Malfoy had gone to great lengths to do so.

Footsteps echoed down the hall and as they grew nearer, Hermione turned to face the direction they were coming from just as Draco entered the room.

"Granger?" he said questioningly. "They sent _you_? I was hoping they would have sent someone with more..." he waved his hand in her general direction. "experience."

Hermione pressed her lips together to keep from retorting something harsh. Instead, she nodded. "I assure you, Malfoy, I am more than capable in dealing with any cursed object you may, or may not have, discovered."

Draco scoffed slightly. "Oh it's definitely cursed. The dark magic emanating from it is very telling."

"Well, let's have a look then, shall we?" she said, walking past him and into the hall. "Where is it?"

"In the attic. I'm wasn't stupid enough to touch it so I left it where I found it," he informed, catching up to her and walking slightly ahead to lead the way.

Hermione followed the wizard up a set of stairs and down a long hall. The portraits seemed to watch them but were otherwise silent.

Draco looked sideways at her and seemed to have noticed that she was confused on how quiet the hall was. "I removed the more vocal portraits," he informed her. "These ones were smart enough to stop spewing hate every time I walked by."

Hermione looked at him with eyes widened in surprise. "What did you do with the other portraits?"

"Burned them," he said with a shrug.

"But… weren't they your family members?" she asked.

"Yeah, but they were arseholes and I didn't want them around anymore. I'd like to move past all that bigotry and they were making it difficult." He shook his head as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I won't allow my future children to be around that, not like I was."

Hermione nodded slowly, impressed with his maturity but unsure of what to say as they continued their walk.

At the end of the hall, Draco pointed his wand to a spot on the ceiling and an opening materialised along with a ladder that unfolded itself.

"Ladies first," he smirked, gesturing towards the ladder.

Hermione rolled her eyes and chuckled, grateful she wasn't wearing a skirt, and started the climb up.

The attic was as big as her flat, if not more so. There were piles of boxes along the walls, trunks of all sizes spread all around, garment racks filled with clothes from long ago, old cauldrons, and there was even an old music player that played records. Hermione itched to inspect all the things hidden up here, but Draco had entered the room and motioned to the other side. "It's over here," he said. "I found it in an old hat box that belonged to my great-great-great-grandmother."

Draco lifted an old hat box from the ground, placing it on top of a small table that he transfigured from an empty trunk. With her wand at the ready, Hermione nodded and he lifted the lid.

Hermione glanced down at the seemingly ordinary jewelry box, but Malfoy had been right— there was definitely something dark coming from within.

"Have you touched it at all?" she asked as she walked around the desk, looking closer at the object.

"I'm not an idiot," he said with a shake of his head. "As I said, I could practically feel the dark energy coming from it as soon as I lifted the lid of the hat box. I fire-called the Department soon after."

Hermione nodded. "That was smart. I'm going to levitate it so I can examine it closer. Stand back, just in case."

She heard Draco huff, but he did what he was told and stepped back about a few feet.

Using wandless magic, she lifted the cursed object from the hat box and Hermione took in all the details. The wooden box was plain on top, the edges darkened from age. The brass clasps, which must have been shiny at one point, were now tarnished and brittle looking. The sides were etched with hand-carved peacocks, their eyes sparkling with black stones. When she lifted the box further up to look under it, she gasped.

On the bottom of the box were carved runes.

"What did you find?" Draco asked, stepping closer.

"Runes," she stated. "I'm going to see if I can decipher them. Maybe it will give me a hint as to the curse that's inside."

Hermione moved the box closer so that the underside was directly in front of her. Without taking her eyes off of the box, she opened her shoulder bag and pulled out a notepad and pen, copying down the rune symbols.

"You wrote that one wrong," a voice next to her said. Hermione hadn't noticed that Malfoy had stepped up behind her so the suddenness, and proximity, of his words startled her.

Hermione jumped, making her lose her concentration on levitating the box, which promptly fell onto the floor. The lid burst open and both Hermione and Draco were blasted back by a large gust of magic, landing a few meters away.

Groaning, Hermione lifted herself up and watched as the jewelry box that once contained the curse disintegrated right before her eyes.

"Shit," she said, rushing forward. "No, no, no…"

"Granger..." Draco said hesitantly as he stood. "What just happened?"

Hermione whirled around and pointed at him. "You! You're what happened! I told you to stay away!" she yelled. "Now look! We got hit by a curse that I still don't know what it does!"

Pacing, Hermione muttered under her breath as Draco picked up her dropped notebook.

"Look, you were able to write it all down, so you can still study it—"

"We'll need to go into quarantine," she stated, opening her bag once more and digging around inside.

"What?" he asked, startled. "Why?"

"Again, _we don't know what the curse does_. It's for our safety as well as everyone else."

She pulled out an item wrapped in cloth and untied the twine, revealing a coin within.

Using her other hand, she picked up the coin, pressing it against her hand to activate it. The familiar tug at her navel gave her just enough warning before she grabbed Draco's wrist, and they were whisked away, leaving the attic of Malfoy Manor behind.

* * *

The suddenness of the Portkey caught Draco off guard, so instead of landing on his feet upon their destination, he landed flat on his arse.

"What the— Granger, where the hell are we?" he asked as he stood up, brushing off his trousers.

Hermione opened her arms wide as she continued to sit on the floor and said, "Welcome to my safehouse, Draco Malfoy."

Draco wrinkled his nose as he looked around. From what he could tell, they were in the middle of a small cabin, furnished only with a loveseat sofa, a bed the same size of the ones from their Hogwarts days, a kitchen with the bare essentials, and a table that sat one, possibly two, people.

"Your safehouse?" Draco asked incredulously, looking around. "Why do you have a safehouse?"

"As a curse-breaker it's standard protocol incase of emergencies," Granger said. "And since we still don't know what that curse did to us, I brought us here until I can find some answers."

Draco strode to one of the windows and his mouth dropped open.

They were surrounded by trees. And snow. "Where exactly is your safehouse located?" he asked, still peering outside.

"Outskirts of Forest of Dean. This was my dad's hunting cabin, back when… when he used to hunt. I figured it would suit well for what I needed."

He turned back around to watch as Granger rifled through her shoulder bag once more, this time with her entire arm submerged within.

"Undetectable extension charm?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Yes. I'm looking for— ah-ha! Found it," she said as she pulled out a thick book and laid it on the floor. She glanced back up at Draco and motioned towards his hand. "Can I have my notebook back?"

Draco looked down, forgetting that he was even holding onto the notebook in the first place, and thrust it into her outstretched hand.

Running a hand through his hair, he paced the room before he finally noticed the fireplace.

"Is that connected to the Floo?" he asked, pointing to it.

Granger didn't even look up from her book as she spoke, "It is, but it's not turned on."

Draco cursed under his breath. "Why the hell not?"

Granger huffed and looked at him. "As I said before, this is a place to quarantine myself in. If I'm infected with something, I don't want anyone coming over and risk them getting infected as well. It's turned off until I know it's safe."

He hated that what she said made sense, but that didn't stop him from grumbling.

"Well, it's bloody cold in here, so if it's alright with you, I'm going to start a fire," he said, pulling his wand out of his pocket.

Granger made a noncommittal noise that Draco took as consent and pointed his Hawthorn wand into the grate, casting the spell.

When nothing happened, he frowned, and cast it again.

And again.

"Uh, Granger…"

"Not now, Malfoy, I'm trying to figure out—"

"Granger!" he snapped. "My magic's not working."

Hermione looked at him and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I tried to cast a bloody fire spell and nothing happened. Don't tell me there's wards around this cabin that prevents magic from happening."

Granger shook her head as she finally stood up. "No, there isn't." She pulled out her own wand and pointed it towards her book. " _Accio_ book."

Nothing happened.

With a sharp intake of her breath, Draco heard her mumble "Oh no…"

"What is it?" he asked as he watched her snatch up the book and flip through the pages hurriedly.

"I think I know what curse this is," she said, her eyes skimming the current page she was on before flipping to the next.

"And that would be?"

"I don't want to say until I know for sure," she said.

Draco snatched the book from her hand. "What curse, Granger?"

"Give me back my book, Malfoy," she said, trying to pull it back, but Draco moved it out of reach.

"What. Curse. Granger?"

The witch crossed her arms and glared at him. "Give me back my book."

They glared at each other for a moment before Draco shoved the book into her chest.

He watched as she took a seat on the sofa and flipped through the pages again, running her finger along the text until she finally found what she was looking for.

She looked up slowly at him and bit her lip. "My assumptions were right… I know what we were hit with."

"And?" Draco asked irritably. "What is it?"

"The Magicea Deleo Curse," she said as she continued to read.

Draco felt himself pale at the words, though he really wasn't sure why. "And what does this curse….do?" he asked hesitantly.

"Translated, it simply means 'magic erasing.'"

"You mean we—"

"Lost our magic, yes," she said with a soft nod. "There is good news though… it's not permanent. It says here that those who are cursed get their magic back within a week."

"A week?" Draco repeated. "So we have no magic for a week? I suppose that isn't too horrible—"

"We're also stuck here as well, seeing as how we can't Apparate or turn on the Floo to return to our homes."

Draco scoffed and called out, "Tippy!"

He waited a moment before calling for his house-elf again, "Tippy! Come here, please."

"It's not going to work," Granger said matter-of-factly.

"Why? The curse didn't affect her, only us. She should be able to use her own magic to come get us," he stated. "Tippy!" he yelled again.

"Malfoy, we lost our magic," she explained slowly, as if talking to a small child, or Ron. "House-elves bonds are tied to our magical core. Without your magic, there's no way for her to hear or find you."

Draco's eyes widened. _Shit._

"So that means we're stuck here… _together_ … Without magic…. For a _week_?" he asked slowly.

"Yup," she said with a sigh, leaning back against the sofa. "Or at least until Monday when Williamson realizes I'm not in."

"But how did the Portkey work if we don't have magic? Maybe we can use it to get back?"

"It's a special Portkey, it activates by touch. The magic needed to work was already cast on it."

Feeling suddenly light headed, Draco sat down next to her. "Where exactly did this curse come from any way?"

"Well," Granger said, sitting up and pulling the book closer. "It says here that a couple of centuries ago, a Muggleborn wizard by the name of Reginald Winthrop was accused and tried for sending cursed objects to Pureblood families. Apparently, he was upset that he was treated unfairly simply because of his blood status and wanted to get back at those who wronged him."

Draco closed his eyes and shook his head, groaning.

"Right, so, first things first, we need heat. Luckily, I had already stored some logs outside on the porch with a few already chopped. And there are matches in one of the kitchen drawers, so it shouldn't be too hard," she said, standing up.

"Is there even food here? Or change of clothes at least?" Draco asked.

"Yes and yes, though the change of clothes are in my size since I wasn't expecting to be here with anyone else," she said with a shrug. "I'm sure I can find something though. I believe there's a trunk in the closet with some of my father's things."

She opened the door and stepped outside coming back within moments with an armful of chopped wood.

"Just out of curiosity," Draco asked as he walked over to her to take some of the wood, "How far away are we from the nearest town?"

"About a two days walk," she stated. "There _is_ a fishing hole nearby, though it's probably frozen over this time of year. Lucky for us, my father taught me all I needed to know about ice fishing."

Draco wrinkled his nose. "Fishing? I thought you said you had food."

Granger knelt in front of the fireplace and started piling the logs into it. "I do, but not enough for the two of us to last a week, and I'm sure the stasis charm I placed on them probably lifted as soon as I lost my magic, so we'll need to eat a few of the things within a day or so. Can you grab the box of matches? They're in the kitchen, the last drawer on the right."

Draco took the few steps to the so-called 'kitchen' and retrieved the matchbox. He tried not to grumble as he handed them to Granger then stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"What can I do to help?" he asked.

To Granger's credit, she didn't look nearly as surprised as she let on. Her eyes widened slightly at his offer before she gave him a hesitant smile. "We'll be needing some more firewood for tonight. I only chopped a bit the last time I was here, but there's loads more that need to be cut."

Draco nodded. "Right, I'll, uh, go do that."

She gave him an amused look. "Have you ever chopped wood before?"

Draco tried not to scoff. "No, but it can't be _that_ hard."

The witch had the gall to chuckle at him. "Alright, well, one of my father's old jackets is on that coat hook. It should fit you. The axe and chopping stump are just off to the side of the porch."

He ignored her amused tone as he found the coat and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

* * *

Hermione bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.

Malfoy, _the_ Draco Malfoy, was currently outside, chopping logs of wood.

Or at least, he was attempting too.

Her father's coat was long gone as beads of sweat dripped from the Wizards forehead while he swung the axe again, nearly missing the log.

Letting out a string of curses, Draco adjusted the log on the stump and lifted the axe once more.

This time he sliced it right in the middle; a perfect cut. It had taken him nearly twenty minutes, but he finally got it.

He set the axe down, tossing the chopped wood to the side as he grabbed another log.

When he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, Hermione felt a jolt of something, but chose to ignore it in favor of watching the tall, blond man swing the axe once more.

When he made another successful chop, he looked up and smirked in her general direction. She squeaked at having been caught and moved away from the window, covering her mouth with her hand to hold in her laughter.

"You know, if you're not too busy spying on me, you can always help," Draco called out.

Hermione moved back to the window and opened it slightly. "I wouldn't want to get in your way. You're doing so well after all," she called back.

Malfoy grumbled something intangible, making Hermione snigger.

"I'll put the kettle on so when you're done you can warm up," she called out, closing the window so as to not let any more of the cold in.

As Hermione rummaged through her cabinets and filled up a kettle, she couldn't help but

worry her bottom lip at how they were going to make it through the week together.

She had enough non-perishable foods to get them by, and she wasn't lying when she said she could ice fish if need be, but other factors started to give her pause.

Such as sleeping arrangements.

Lighting a match, she turned on the gas to one of the burners and lit it, placing the kettle on top as she contemplated what to do.

She only had one bed—which was just big enough for herself—and a lumpy, old sofa that had seen better days; the fabric was worn and faded and a spring was visible in one of the cushions. If she had her magic, she could have transfigured the sofa into another bed, or at least made it more comfortable.

She supposed she ought to do the polite thing and offer him the bed and she scrunched up her nose at the thought. Maybe they could take turns? For a brief moment she even contemplated _sharing_ the bed, and the realization of just how intimate that would be gave her another jolt.

Hermione startled when the kettle whistle blew and she took it off the burner just as Malfoy entered the cabin, letting in a cold gust of air along with him.

"It's snowing again," he said as he brushed off fresh flakes from his oxford shirt, the coat slung over his arms instead of on him. "And I put the logs I cut on the porch."

"Thank you," she said sincerely as she watched him hang the coat and toe off his wet shoes. "I have tea, if you would like a cuppa?"

Malfoy nodded as he shivered slightly. "Please."

Hermione grabbed two mugs from the pantry, along with a container of different types of teas, and brought them over to the small table. Malfoy sat down and chose an earl grey, letting it steep in the hot water.

"I'm afraid I don't have any cream, but I do have some milk in the fridge and plenty of sugar," Hermione offered.

"Milk is fine, thank you," he said as another chill ran through him.

Hermione frowned and once she gave him the milk from the fridge, she went over to the sofa, taking the worn, knitted blanket that was draped over the top and handed it to him.

"You're cold," she said at his questioning look. "And it would do neither us any good if you get ill right now. I have basic medications and potions but my supply wasn't meant for—"

" _For two people_ , yes, I get it Granger," he said irritably, running a hand through his slightly damp hair. "Look, I didn't ask to be here, you know. You're the one who grabbed onto me and brought me along."

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping at him. It wouldn't do well to start arguing again. Instead, she took a calming breath and said, "I apologize for that, but like I said before, I didn't know what the curse was or if it was contagious. I was just being cautious."

Malfoy sighed and leaned back against the chair. "I know you were." He took a tentative sip of his tea and Hermione saw some color return to his cheeks from the heat. "Let's just...try and get on for the duration of our stay here. As much as I enjoy our verbal sparring, I don't know if I can take a week's worth of it without..." he said, looking away, colour blooming on his cheeks again and Hermione wondered if it was from something other than his tea this time.

Hermione gave him an amused look. "Without what?"

"Nothing," he said dismissively with a shake of his head. "You said there was food, correct? We should probably start preparing something to eat for dinner before it gets too dark."

Looking outside, Hermione saw that the sun was starting to dip behind the trees. "You're right, it's getting rather late. How does chicken sound? I have some that needs to be cooked up."

Malfoy nodded and stood, drinking the rest of his tea. "I'll help."

* * *

They prepared dinner together and Draco was amused to see that Granger was surprised he knew his way around the kitchen. The meal was simple with grilled chicken and a side salad.

When they were done eating, Granger went around to light the kerosene lanterns that were scattered throughout, creating a soft glow in the one room cabin.

"You don't by chance have anything here to pass the time?" he asked as she lit the last lantern.

"I have a few books in my bag," she said offhandedly, then she broke into a smile and looked at him. "But I think there's some things in my dad's trunk."

The trunk was now located at the foot of the bed for easy access and Granger knelt before it as she lifted the lid.

She pulled out a few jumpers, tossing one to Draco. He slipped it on, the dark blue fabric soft from being worn so much, and watched as Granger pulled out a deck of cards, some board games, and puzzles from the bottom.

"Will this do?" she asked, spreading her finds on the ground.

Draco walked over and looked at them pensively before picking up a box.

"Care for a puzzle?" he said and his heart stuttered at the bright smile she gave him.

They set to work on the small dining table, picking out all the edge pieces first before tackling the middle. They talked about safe topics such as friends and work—Granger had admitted that she didn't know what he did in his spare time besides helping the Aurors and attending galas. He informed her that he was currently studying to be an alchemist so he spends a good portion of his day making potions. When he wasn't doing that, he picked up cooking as a hobby just to have something to do.

"You know, Harry and Ron sometimes play pick-up Quidditch games on the weekends. You should join them sometime," Granger mentioned casually.

"Potter mentioned it to be before, but I wasn't sure if I'd really be welcome, or if he was just being polite," Draco admitted with a shrug.

"If Harry invited you, then it was sincere. You should go next time," she said encouragingly.

"Maybe," he hedged.

"You can't just stay at the Manor all the time, Draco. You need to socialize more," she said matter-of-factly.

Draco gave her an amused look and watched as she fit two pieces together. "You called me Draco," he said.

Granger looked up at him and nodded once. "I did. I figured it's about time, don't you?" She raised a brow in challenge.

Draco smirked. "I suppose you have a point," he conceded, attaching a piece from his pile to hers.

A half hour later, Draco was stifling a yawn behind his hand. "I'm knackered," he admitted.

"Same," Granger said. "I suppose we should call it a night, then?"

He nodded and they both stood to walk towards the other side of the cabin.

Draco lifted his chin towards the bed. "You take the bed," he stated and Granger's eyes rounded in surprise.

"Are you sure?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Look, I may be an arse, but I was raised a gentleman," he said, dragging his fingers through his hair. He let out a tired sigh. "I'll take the sofa."

He turned to walk away when Granger grabbed his elbow lightly. He looked at her with a questioning frown.

"Thank you," she said quietly, a blush coloring her cheeks. "Um, I know it's not much, but the trunk also had a pair of lounge pants, if you'd rather sleep in those instead of your trousers?"

Draco gave a nod. "That'll be nice, thanks."

Granger rummaged through the trunk once more, procuring the lounge pants. She also grabbed her work bag and began rifling through there, pulling out two toothbrushes and some toothpaste, handing one to Draco.

With a nod of thanks, he went over to the small washroom to change and brush his teeth. He took stock of the area and though it was nearly as big as a broom closet at Hogwarts, he had to admit that it had all the necessities he needed— a loo, a sink, and a shower that he hoped had hot water in the morning.

When he emerged from the washroom, Granger had already changed into a pair of pyjamas that must have been stored at the cabin ahead of time, seeing as how they looked to be made of fleece.

Making his way to the sofa, he noticed that there was now a pillow along with the knitted blanket from before.

"I hope it isn't too uncomfortable," Granger fretted as she watched him sit on the sofa.

Draco moved into a lying position and tried not to groan when a hard spring pressed into his back.

"It's not _horrible_ ," he managed.

He moved around this way and that, trying to find a comfortable spot as Granger walked around the cabin, turning off all the lanterns and adding another log into the fire.

He closed his eyes and listened as she settled into the bed and rustled around before she let out a tired sigh.

"Goodnight," she mumbled sleepily.

"Goodnight, Hermione," he said quietly, hoping that she fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	2. Day 2

_**Day 2** _

Hermione was freezing. She was huddled under the blankets and in warm pyjamas but she was still shivering. Her mind drifted over to Malfoy who was undoubtedly cold, especially since he only had a knitted blanket, a sweatshirt, and lounge pants.

Deciding she should probably get up and put more wood in the fire that had dwindled down to embers, she shuffled her way to the hearth, only to find that there were no more logs.

"I already tended to the fire twice," a tired voice said behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Draco was huddled under the blanket, shivering slightly.

"This place is bloody cold," he grumbled.

Hermione rubbed her arms with her hands. "That it is." She looked over at him, and bit her lip.  
"If… if you're comfortable with the idea, we can try and share the bed. Our body heat combined would be able to keep us warmer, along with the two blankets—"

"I'll try anything at this point," the blond wizard said tiredly, standing up on stiff legs.

They rearranged the bed so that their pillows were side by side and the knitted blanket laid on top of the other, thicker one. Hermione pulled back the covers and slipped into the left side while Draco took the right.

"Back to back?" he suggested.

Hermione nodded and the two shifted so that their backs pressed up against each other, warmth immediately radiating between them, and without another word, the two fell back asleep.

Hermione woke slowly hours later, comforted in the warmth against her back when she realized two things: Draco's hand was currently splayed across her midsection, where her shirt had lifted slightly, and there was something hard pressing against her bum. Her eyes snapped open and she tried to shift away, but the hand on her middle tightened slightly and pulled her closer, caging her between Draco's arm and chest. She huffed out a breath and tried to figure out how to get out of his hold without waking him, wanting to avoid the awkwardness that was sure to come when he woke up in this compromising position.

She could always feign sleep until he woke up— after all, being held close by a handsome wizard wasn't the worst way to spend her morning, and the hand on her stomach felt nice—almost intimate.

Relaxing against him, Hermione closed her eyes, telling herself only five more minutes before she tried to get up again.

She was just starting to drift back to sleep when Draco started moving behind her—or rather, his _hips_ started moving, rubbing his erection against her bum.

Instinctively, she pressed into him and the hand on her stomach clenched slightly, his fingertips edging closer to her pyjama bottoms hem line.

Realizing this was perhaps going too far for her to be conscious and him still asleep, she decided to elbow him slightly, trying to wake him up.

The rutting against her stopped and his hand stiffened. Closing her eyes and feigning to sleep once more, she waited as Draco moved slowly away from her and slipped into the washroom. With a sigh she rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling of the cabin, wondering why she enjoyed that a bit too much. When she heard the shower running, she decided to get up and start breakfast. She hoped Draco liked eggs.

* * *

Draco let the spray of the water beat down on him as he thought back, horrifyingly, about what he was doing to Granger in his sleep.

He damn near had his hand in her knickers and his cock was pressing right up against her. Thank goodness she was asleep or else she'd probably kick his arse outside and let him freeze to death.

It wasn't his fault though; it was a natural reaction when a bloke was sleeping next to a warm body and a beautiful witch—not that he would ever admit that to her out-loud.

He looked down at his stiff morning wood and groaned inwardly—he'd have to take care of that before he left the washroom or else it would make the rest of the week pretty damn awkward.

With practice ease, he pumped his length and it didn't take long for him to come, seeing as how he was nearly there while still in bed next to Granger. Images of said witch flashed through his mind as he completed, wondering briefly how it would be too empty inside of her, instead of in his hand, thinking about her.

Not wanting to take too much longer for fear that Granger might figure out what he was doing in there for so long, Draco hurriedly washed his body and hair with the supplied toiletries and turned off the taps, toweling himself dry quickly. He cursed when he realized he didn't bring in his trousers so he pulled the lounge pants back on as well as the sweatshirt he was borrowing.

They ate breakfast in silence, eating the eggs and toast that Granger had made for them. It was only when they cleared the plates that a thought struck Draco.

"Does anyone else know about this safe house? What about your supervisor?"

Granger started filling the sink with hot water and pursed her lips. "The coin I used that activated the portkey is linked to one that Williamson carries. He likely already knows that I triggered mine."

Draco perked up. "So he'll know you're here? Would he be able to come get us?"

Shaking her head, Granger began washing the first plate. "No. It's under the Fidelius Charm and I'm the secret keeper. He'll just get notified I'm here and will expect I check in as soon as I can." Draco frowned. "But what if you were hit with something deadly and couldn't get back in time? They'd never know…"

Granger chuckled as she set aside the first dish and began the second. "We're curse breakers, our job is very hazardous so we have a lot of safeguards in place."

"Such as?" Draco asked with a quirked brow, taking a towel and drying the wet dishes she set aside.

"We each have a scroll that glows if we were to perish and it will be given to an auror to come retrieve our bodies. Harry is my point of contact if that were to happen. The scroll has the location of my safe houses so he'd check here first."

"Is this scroll of yours connected to your magical core? Because if so, wouldn't it assume you're dead now since it's gone?" he asked.

Granger's hands stilled for a second as she frowned in thought. "I don't know, honestly. This is something we've never come across before. Theoretically though, yes, I suppose it would think I was dead."

"So why isn't Potter here yet if he's your point of contact?" he asked.

"Because it's Saturday and no one is at the department. I don't think they'll even look for it until I don't show up on Monday."

"So three days?" he asked for confirmation.

"Yes, three days at the minimum. Seven if the scroll isn't activated and we have to wait until our magic returns." She continued washing the silverware. "What about your house elves? Without your magical core to link them to you, would they assume you died as well?"

Draco nearly dropped the dish he was drying. "Oh fuck, I hadn't though of that. They'll probably go to my mother and she'll think I've died."

Granger stopped washing the dishes and placed a hand on his arm. "She's a strong woman, Draco. When we're able to leave, go straight to her and let her know you're ok. I'll even go with you to explain."

His eyes found hers and he noted the sincerity in them.

Giving her a nod in appreciation, the two went back to finishing the dishes when Draco asked, "What about your parents? Won't they wonder what happened to you?"

"Oh, well, they won't really notice honestly," she said stiffly.

Draco frowned, putting away the plates he just dried "How would they not notice that you've disappeared for a week? Do you normally not see them for that long?"

"My parents are in Australia," Granger said softly, looking away. "I haven't actually spoken to them in a few years."

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I didn't know."

Granger gave a light shrug. "It's not your fault. It was a choice I made so I really have no room to complain about it. And before you ask, no, I don't want to discuss it."

When they finished their work in the kitchen, Draco announced that he was going outside to chop more wood, since it had finally stopped snowing but looked like it would start up again soon.

Pulling on the borrowed jacket, he left Granger to her thoughts as he stepped outside. There was fresh snow on the ground, and the axe was slightly covered from where he left it the day before. Gathering an armful of logs from the porch, he set about his task, only having to readjust his stance a few times before getting into a rhythm. Like yesterday, he began to work a sweat and soon the jacket he wore was tossed over the railing of the porch and the sleeves of his sweatshirt pulled up to his elbows, despite the snow surrounding him. He glanced at the window to see if Granger was watching again and felt slightly disappointed she wasn't, until the door opened and she came out carrying two beverages.

"I made hot cocoa," she said, lifting a mug that had steam billowing from the top. "But I also brought water in case you were more thirsty than cold."

She offered them both out to him and he took the glass of water first, taking a few hearty sips before setting it on the porch railing and taking the mug of cocoa.

"Thanks," he said, taking a small sip to test the temperature. "So what's on your agenda for today?" he asked teasingly.

"Oh you know, a bit of this, a little of that," she said cheekily. "You?"

"About the same," he said with a chuckle then he motioned to the pile of chopped wood. "How much more do you think we need?"

Hermione surveyed the pile and hummed to herself. "Well, depending on how much we use, that should last us the day. If I make a pot of stew for dinner that should also warm up the cabin a bit so we won't need to light a fire until later tonight."

"I'll do a few more, just in case," Draco said.

Granger sat on the steps of the porch and watched as he chopped a few more logs, picking up a mug of cocoa she had placed there. Draco had to hide a smirk when he noticed she was looking at his arms when he swung the axe, but then nearly missed his mark since he wasn't paying attention.

"Am I distracting you?" she asked teasingly.

He shot her a glare without much heat behind it. "No. Are you enjoying the view?"

"I am actually," she said with a lift of her chin. "A woman can appreciate a nice set of arms swinging an axe every now and again." She smiled behind her mug of cocoa. "Plus, there's really nothing else to watch."

"So I'm just here for your entertainment then?" he asked with a smirk, causing Granger to laugh.

He thought he'd rather enjoy making her laugh as much as possible.

* * *

Hermione hummed to herself as she chopped vegetables for the stew for that night while Draco sat on the counter, looking rather bored.

"Would you mind grabbing me the big pot? It's in the cabinet over there," she said, indicating the direction with her head.

Hopping off the counter, Draco went to grab the pot while Hermione started cutting some carrots.

"You'll never guess what I found," he said with a wide smile.

"Hopefully the pot for the stew," Hermione deadpanned.

"Well, yes, that." He placed the pot next to her so she could start putting the vegetable inside. "But I also found this." He brandished an old bottle of whiskey.

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Do you know how old that is?" she asked.

"Whiskey only gets better with age, Granger," Draco said knowingly, causing Hermione to roll her eyes.

Opening a cabinet, Draco rummaged around until he found two glasses.

"Want some?" he asked as he broke the seal from the bottle.

Hermione eyed the bottle and contemplated. "Maybe just a sip."

"That's the Gryffindor spirit," he said with a wink, and Hermione's stomach fluttered at his smile.

He poured them each a finger-full of the dark, amber liquid, then lifted his glass.

"To being quarantined," he said.

Hermione chuckled. "To being quarantined."

Their glasses clinked together and Hermione took a tentative sip.

It burned going down and she only coughed a little, all things considered. Draco just shook his head and took another fingerful before setting the bottle aside.

As the stew stewed, Draco worked on the puzzle they had started earlier while Hermione went through all their supplies. She wrote everything down and then put it all back systematically. She calculated that if they ate simply, and possibly skipped lunch, they would be okay as far as food went for another day or two, but they will eventually need to try and catch some fish.

By evening time, when their bellies were full from the hearty stew, Hermione sat down on the sofa and started reading a book from her bag when Draco joined her, whiskey and glasses in hand.

"Truth or dare, Granger?"

A pair of eyes peeked over the book she was reading and narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

Draco shrugged. "Because I'm bored?"

Hermione closed her book and set it down. "Fair enough. I suppose I'll go with truth."

Draco hummed in thought, his fingers on his chin as he figured out what to ask her. "When was the first time you did accidental magic as a child?"

Hermione's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just… well, I thought you'd start off asking if I was a virgin, or who I kissed first or something."

Draco raised a brow. "Would you like me too?"

Hermione laughed then eyed the whiskey. "Merlin no. At least not without some liquid courage."

Draco chuckled. "I figured I'd be nice and give you an easy first question and work our way up," he said, tossing her a wink.

Hermione laughed again as she sat back on the sofa relaxing against the cushions. "I appreciate that. Let's see… I was probably around seven or so. Of course at the time I didn't realize that's what it was, especially being Muggleborn, but, all I remember is that my bike was stolen from our front yard and that night had closed my eyes and wished and wished it would come back. When I opened them again, my bike was in my room."

Draco barked out a laugh. "How did you explain that to your parents?" he asked.

"They never knew. I snuck it back to the porch after they were asleep. When I woke up, I thought I dreamt it all, until my parents exclaimed that the bike was back where I left it."

Hermione smiled at the memory. When she realized that Draco was looking at her contemplatively, she cleared her throat. "Your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"I've always wondered… Do Slytherins _really_ have a hot spring off their common room?"

Draco took a shot of whiskey. "Sorry, Granger, but that's a secret I'll take the grave. Truth or dare?"

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms. "Truth."

"Did you _really_ like that half-giants Care of Magical Creatures class? Or was it just a show?"

Hermione bit her lip. "First off, his name is Hagrid"—Draco waved her off—"And second… alright, I admit his classes weren't the best; downright dangerous most times. But he was trying his damnedest and you lot weren't making it easy on him."

"He brought in Hippogriffs and Blast-Ended Skrewts," Draco deadpanned. "Honestly he was horrid until you started helping him."

Hermione felt her face blush. "You knew about that?"

"Please, everyone knew," he scoffed.

"We're getting off topic," Hermione stated, obviously changing the subject. "Your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Did you really earn your spot on the Slytherin quidditch team or did your father bribe the captain with new brooms?"

Draco narrowed his eyes and grumbled. "I _earned_ my spot. My father didn't buy the team the new brooms until after I made the team."

Hermione had the decency to look abashed. "Then I apologize for accusing you of getting your way in through bribery."

Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "If we're going to start apologizing, I suppose I should start by saying I'm sorry for being a little git back at school."

"Some would say you're still a git," she retorted playfully.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "That cheek of yours deserves to take a shot."

With a shrug, Hermione poured herself some whiskey and drank it in one gulp, hissing at the burn. "My turn, right? Truth."

"Did you ever have a crush on Snape?"

"Ew, no! Why would you even ask that?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know; something about tall, dark, and brooding being desirable."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's not forget that he was a bully and prejudiced against everyone outside his house. Besides, I'm not into tall, dark, and broody."

Draco raised a brow. "What exactly are you into?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she quipped. "You're turn."

"Truth."

"Did you really tattle to your dad all the time?"

Draco grimaced. "We've already established that I was a little shite, so I think you know that answer." He gulped down a bit of his whiskey. "Your turn."

"Truth."

His eyes roamed over her. "Have you ever lost anything in that hair of yours?" he asked as he leaned forward and tugged on an errant curl.

Taken aback from his question, Hermione laughed. "Yes, I have. Usually just a pencil or pen. Though I do think I've gotten better at managing it, it's just a mess now because I don't have my magic to fix it."

"I always thought you didn't care about your looks," he said mildly.

Hermione shrugged as she swirled the whiskey in her glass. "I didn't, but, working for the Ministry, I've noticed that I needed to look the part to get respect. So I style my hair better and dress in clothes that are more in fashion." She finished off the liquid in her glass before pouring herself another. "Your turn. Truth?" At his nod, she leaned back and studied him as he did with her. "Speaking of hair, is yours really as silky as it looks, or is that just a trick of the eye?"

Draco snorted and leaned forward. "See for yourself."

Biting her lip, Hermione ran her hand through his hair, relishing in the softness of it. "You know, it's not fair how nice of hair you have," she said with a fake pout.

Draco took a large gulp of his drink. "It's a curse, really. Especially when a pretty witch is grabbing it in the middle of—"

"I think I get the picture," Hermione interrupted, fidgeting in her seat.

"Speaking of which, who was your first?" he asked.

"My first what?" she asked, her mind going blank as she watched Draco roll his sleeves up.

It _was_ starting to feel a bit stuffy in the cabin…

"Your first anything," Draco said with a shrug.

"Oh, well… my first kiss was with Viktor," she admitted.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise and then his nose wrinkled. "Krum? Wasn't he like, four years older than you?"

"Only three," Hermione said, lifting the number of fingers for emphasis and wiggling them. "Besides, it was just a chaste kiss; not even a proper snog."

"So who gave you your first proper snog then?"

"Ah-ah," she said, wagging her finger, "I believe it's my turn to ask the question. So, who was your first kiss with?"

"Pansy," Draco said with a shrug. "Pansy was my first for almost everything really."

"Oh," she said. "Have you ever kissed a guy?"

Draco nearly choked on his whiskey. "Merlin, where did that come from? No, I've never kissed another bloke."

Hermione shrugged casually. "There were rumors…"

"What rumors?"

"Oh nothing…." she said airily.

"Well, have you ever kissed another girl?"

"I thought you wanted to know who was the first to snog to me?" she teased.

" _This_ question seems more important at the moment," he said seriously, causing Hermione to giggle.

"I have, but it was on a dare," she said nonchalantly.

"Really now? Who was it?"

"I believe it's my turn to ask a question?" She raised a brow and Draco grumbled, then nodded. "Right, so, my next question is…. What's the longest relationship you've been in?"

Draco seemed to deflate a bit and Hermione wondered if this was a sore subject.

"It was with Astoria," he finally said. "We were together for a year or so, but, we wanted different things in life so she left."

"Astoria?" Hermione asked, confused. "What about Pansy? Weren't you with her for a few years in Hogwarts?"

Draco barked out a laugh. "Pansy and I were never together."

"But you said she was your first in everything…"

"And that was by choice. We figured if we're going to lose our virginity it might as well be with someone we knew and trusted. I'm sure she would have liked it if we made things official, but by that time I was too preoccupied with other things to think about having a girlfriend."

"Oh," Hermione said, unsure of what else to say. "Well, what sort of different things did you and Astoria want?"

On a sigh, Draco poured a little more whiskey into his tumbler. "She wanted to get married and have kids right away, but I wanted to focus on my mastery in alchemy first. She thought waiting a few years was too much and decided to leave." He took a large gulp of his drink. "It honestly gutted me. She was the first witch I had ever loved, aside from my mother."

Hermione reached forward and placed her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"It's part of life, isn't it? Falling in love and getting your heart broken until you find 'the one'?" he asked with air quotes.

"I suppose. I haven't fallen in love yet though, so…"

Draco gasped exaggeratedly. "You mean and Weasley were never in love?"

Hermione giggled. "No. We wanted it to work out, but it just… didn't. We tried during the summer before I went back to Hogwarts, but before I left we talked it out and decided to stay as friends."

"Probably for the best. You'd have better conversations talking to a wall."

"Hey!" she said, swatting him playfully. "He's still my friend you know. And I know you two get along better these days, same with Harry, so don't go acting like you guys aren't friends."

" _Friends_ is a bit heavy handed," he said, taking another sip.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Men," she muttered under breath, also taking a sip of her drink.

Draco watched her for a moment pensively then said, "So I told you my sordid love life. What about yours?"

"It's really not all that interesting. Viktor was my first kiss—"

"—still gross, I say—"

"—and Cormac was the first to snog me."

"McLaggen?" Draco asked with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up!" Hermione said, blushing profusely. "I mainly did it to get Ron jealous. Turns out the joke was on me because he was a horrible snog. _Way_ too much tongue." She let out an involuntary shiver.

Draco was full on belly laughing at this point, nearly doubled over. Hermione tried to be irritated but soon found herself laughing along with him.

When they finally calmed down and Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes, a comfortable silence washed over them.

"I take it Weasley was your first shag then?"

"Yes. He was my first, but I wasn't his. Lavender Brown has that title." After sipping the last of her drink, Hermione leaned her head against the cushion of the sofa while still facing him and let out a stifled yawn. "I need to switch to water. Without any sober-up potion on hand, if I drink any more I will be very miserable tomorrow."

Draco frowned into glass. "I suppose I ought to stop too."

Hermione stood and gathered their glasses, washing them quickly and then filling them with water.

They stayed up for another half hour before Hermione's yawns were becoming too much to even hold a conversation. When she stood up to head to the bed she looked over at Draco and bit her lip. "Did you want to…" she trailed off and motioned vaguely toward the bed with her hand.

Draco shook his head. "The alcohol left me slightly buzzed and still rather warm. If it gets too cold again though, I might just take you up on that offer," he said with a wink.

Hermione nodded and turned away, not wanting him to see the blush that she knew was on her face. "Alright, well, I'm going to use the loo to change and then it's all yours."

Later, in the middle of the night, as Hermione shivered under the blankets once again, she felt the covers pull back slightly and a warm body slide in behind her. Instead of putting his back against hers though, Draco put his arm around her middle, pulling her closer to his chest. Finally warm, and feeling rather comfortable, Hermione slept soundly and deeply for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love to TriDogMom for being my aplha, beta, and cheerleader for this fic!  
> Chapter 3 will be posted when I am finished writing it!  
> xoxo HufflepuffMommy


	3. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies, my dear readers. My muse went on vacation. She returned, finally, and to make up for the long wait, here's a fairly long chapter for you. I hope you enjoy ;) One more to go before the story is complete!  
> Love and thanks to TriDogMom for being my beta! xoxoHufflepuffMommy

**Day 3**

"I'm sorry, you want to do _what_ exactly?" Draco asked, his hot cup of tea paused halfway to his mouth.

"Ice fishing," she said again, scrambling the last of the eggs for breakfast.

They had been up not even an hour and Draco was not awake enough to be talking such things just yet. "Why?" he asked as he sipped his tea.

"Because we're running out of food," Granger huffed as she poured the eggs into a pan to scramble. "We have some bread left, a little bit of cold cuts, leftover stew, and some stuff for a simple pasta meal. Aside from granola bars, crackers, and few other snacks, there isn't much in the way of food." She scooped some eggs onto two plates and handed him one. "I told you I knew how to ice fish."

"You were serious about that?" he asked, mildly surprised.

Granger nodded. "Yes. I've watched my father do it many times as a child and he showed me how to do it a few years back."

"What are we to use to fish with?" Draco asked after a moment. "I don't recall seeing any fishing poles around here."

"There's a little shed around the back that has some poles and stuff to cut into the ice."

"Is it safe?" Draco inquired with a lift of his brow.

"Of course," Granger said airly. "We can go after we eat breakfast before it starts snowing again."

Draco glanced out the window and noticed the dark clouds far off into the distance, figuring they had a few hours until the storm blew in.

"Should I cut some more firewood?" he asked.

"It wouldn't hurt," Granger said as she gathered their plates. "You can do that while I get everything ready for fishing."

They met up a half hour later, Granger handing Draco a pair of snow trousers to go with the jacket and boots he was borrowing and followed her outside where she had two fishing poles and a duffle bag of supplies.

"We don't have live bait, obviously, but there are plenty of lures," she said as she led the way to the small lake.

Draco made a noncommittal noise as he nodded and he heard Granger chuckle.

"Have you ever been fishing?" she asked.

"I have not, but I've read about it," he said.

Granger raised her brows, clearly surprised. "I guess we'll just have to see what you've retained, won't we?" she asked, bumping her arm against his lightly.

Draco smiled down at her. "Looks like it," he said, bumping her back.

They reached the frozen lake a few minutes later and Hermione started setting up, pulling out an object from her bag that Draco had never seen before. He watched as she looked around, muttering to herself before she finally squatted and put the tool to the ice, cranking it around and around until it started cutting through.

"What is that?" he asked, indicating the device she was using.

"It's called an auger. They have ones that are powered up, but this ice isn't too thick to need that, so we just use one that we hand crank," she said, now using both hands to wind the cranking tool.

"Can I give it a try?" he asked.

Granger nodded and stepped aside to let him have a turn. It was harder than he thought it would be, but he managed a few more rotations before there was a circular hole in the ice.

"Now what?" he asked.

Granger opened up the tackle box and pulled out what looked like a small, brightly colored fish made of rubber. She hooked it on the end of the barbed hook that was on the fishing pole and dropped the line into the water. She handed the pole to Draco, who took it while she bated the other pole.

When both lines were in and they just stood there, he finally spoke. "Now what?" he asked again.

"We wait," she said with a shrug. She reached down and pulled out a folded blanket, opening it just enough so that it was big enough for both of them to sit on the ice.

Draco sat next to her, his knee bumping hers, and waited in silence.

"How long until we catch anything?" he asked.

"It could be a while, or it could be no time at all. It really depends if the fish are biting today," she said.

Draco frowned. "You mean we could be doing all of this for nothing? I don't particularly want to waste my whole day outside in the freezing cold and having nothing to show for it."

Granger smirked and patted his knee placatingly. "Patience is key when it comes to fishing," she said knowingly.

Draco grumbled but said no more as they sat and waited.

It seemed like hours had passed but when Draco checked his watch, he saw that it only had only been ten minutes. He let out an exaggerated sigh, but otherwise said nothing.

Granger opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when her pole started to bend slightly. "I got something!" she said excitedly. She tugged on the pole and wound the crank, pulling up the line. A small, wiggly fish was on the end of it. Granger unhooked the fish and held it by its mouth, smiling widely at Draco. "We have dinner."

Draco squinted at the fish. "It's kind of puny," he commented.

Granger rolled her eyes as she placed the fish on the ice next to her and bated her hook once more. "Well, we'll obviously need to catch more. Maybe make a bit of a competition for it?" she suggested with a glint in her eye.

"I find that hardly fair, since I've never fished before," Draco sniffed, then stiffened when he felt a tug on his own line.

"You got one!" Granger said.

"What do I do?" he asked nervously as he fumbled with the reel.

"I thought you read all about it?" she teased.

"Just fucking help me, okay!?"

Granger chuckled. "Just turn the crank like you are, a bit faster so it can't get away. That's it!"

Draco turned the crank a few more times before a fish wiggled it's way out of the water.

"Good job!" Granger said, and Draco tried not to let his ego inflate too much at her praise.

"It's a little bigger than mine," she commented as she placed his next to hers. "Ready for another?" she asked.

Draco nodded and watched as she baited his hook. She showed him how to drop the line into the water then did the same with her own, both of them waiting in anticipation for the next one to get a bite.

By the end of the hour, they had each caught four fish. Their fingers were frozen and their faces were pink from the cold, but Draco found that he didn't quite care. Granger had a container that she called a thermos that was filled with hot cocoa and they shared the hot beverage as they sat in companionable silence.

"Have you ever been ice skating?" she asked conversationally.

Draco shook his head. "I have not. I take it you have?"

Granger nodded and smiled wistfully at the lake. "I have. I learned here, actually," she said, indicating with her towards the middle of the lake. "I debated grabbing my skates that I kept at the cabin, but decided to just stick to fishing."

Draco shrugged. "Go run and grab them. You can skate while I catch the winning fish," he said with a wink.

Granger huffed but bit her lip as she glanced out on the lake again. She looked sideways at him. "If my line gets a bite, you better reel it in for me," she said, pointing at him threateningly.

He lifted a hand and placed the other over his heart. "On my honour as a Slytherin."

Granger chuckled as she stood, handing him her pole. "Yeah, that doesn't exactly make me trust you, you know."

Unfortunately for Draco, neither line took a bite while she was gone. When she returned, she sat down next to him and took off her boots, slipping on the ice skates in their place.

"How long has it been since you skated?" he asked as she stood on wobbly legs.

"A couple of years," she said, sliding a few steps away from him. She smiled back at him. "It's just like riding a bike; once you know how it's ingrained into you."

He watched as she slowly glided on the ice, picking up speed as she gained more confidence.

As she headed towards the middle of the lake, he called out, "Be careful! I don't need you falling through the ice and scaring all the fish away!"

Granger turned quickly and put her hands on her hips. She was about to retort with something snarky, but suddenly, she looked down then up again, her eyes wide with freight, just as the lake opened up and swallowed her under.

"HERMIONE!" Draco yelled, dropping both poles and scrambling up, running towards her. He slipped and slided as he made his way over to where she had disappeared, careful not to break anymore of the ice.

Her head popped up suddenly, sputtering, her arms flailing. "HELP!" she screamed, barely getting out the word before she was under once more.

Draco circled the area, looking for the most secure spot to get as close as he could. He found a spot that wasn't splintered and prayed to any entity who was listening to please let him get her out safely.

Flat on his belly now, he army-crawled over to the opening, using his teeth to rip off the glove on his right hand. Sucking in shaky breath, he plunged his arm into the water. It was so cold he felt like a thousand knives were slicing through his hands, but he pushed down further still until he felt the fabric of Granger's coat. Curling his numb fingers, he gripped the coat and tugged her up, breathing a sigh of relief as she came up sputtering.

"I got you. I got you," he said over and over as he pulled her up and onto the ice.

Breathing heavy, he knew he had few precious moments to get her warm or else she'd die of hypothermia.

Granger was still lying on the ice, breathing heavy. Draco went over and tugged off her skates then started unzipping her coat. "It's watered down," he explained at the questioning look in her eyes, her teeth chattering too much to be able to form words. "I need to get you warm," he said.

Scooping her up into his arms, Draco raced as fast as he could towards the cabin, trying not to trip and fall.

As soon as they were back inside, he looked around, trying to figure out the best way to get her warm.

His eyes landed on the bathroom door and a plan came to mind. Granger was shaking violently against him and he hurried over to the small washroom, sitting her down on the closed toilet seat before he turned on the shower tap to the hottest setting.

He turned back to Granger who was still shaking and her lips were now turning blue. He cursed to himself, unzipping his own jacket finally and tossing it onto the floor before going over to her, prying her arms apart so he could lift her jumper over her head.

"W-w-w-what are you d-d-doing?" she said through chattering teeth, as he reached for her undershirt next.

"We need to get these wet clothes off of you or you'll just keep getting colder," he explained.

The bathroom was starting to steam up and Draco adjusted the water so it wasn't scalding before turning back to Granger and pulled her up to stand. He placed her hands on his shoulders to help steady her and her hands were so cold that he could feel them through his own jumper.

He reached for the hem of her snow trousers, tugging them down before attempting to unclasp the buttons on her denims.

She tried to move back and away from him, but she nearly fell instead.

"Granger, please," he begged. "I swear I'm not trying to get into your knickers, but your trousers need to come off so we can get you under the water," he said, motioning towards the shower. "I swear I'll leave your knickers and bra on, but everything else must go."

She nodded shakily and Draco held onto her as he unzipped her denims and pulled them down. Sitting her back on the toilet seat, he pulled off the snow trousers, denims, and her socks before scooping her up once more and depositing her into the shower.

She was still shaking so hard that she could barely stand. Draco cursed quietly before pulling his own jumper and snow trousers off and stepping into the shower with her in just his trousers and undershirt.

Hermione's legs were wobbly when he tugged her to his chest, making sure the hot spray of the water was hitting her back.

"I got you, it's okay Granger, I got you," he murmured into her hair as she continued to shake against him.

He continued his mantra over and over until her shaking subsided. He was still holding her close when he realized she started shaking again, though this time it was accompanied with sobs.

"Granger?" he asked hesitantly, never really sure what to do about crying witches.

"I'm so _stupid_ ," she bemoaned, her hand clutching his wet undershirt as she sobbed into it. "I can't believe I let that happen."

"Hey," he said, lifting her face with a finger under her chin. "You are _not_ stupid. You didn't know the ice would break."

"But I should have," she said with a shake of her head, curly strands of hair sticking to her face. "It's only the beginning of winter and the middle of the lake usually takes the most time to solidify. I should have just kept to the edges and...and—" Suddenly looked up at him again, her chocolate colored eyes flicking between both of his grey ones. "You… you saved my life," she whispered in awe.

His fingers brushed the wet curls from her cheeks and forehead. "I suppose I did," he said with a shrug.

Granger stared at him, her mouth open as if trying to form words, and then, before Draco could realize what was about to happen, she surged onto her toes and kissed him. His eyes widened as her lips pressed hard against his. It lasted only a moment before she pulled back, her eyes wide in shock at what she had just done.

"What—" his voice cracked. He cleared it and tried again. "What was that for?"

She bit her lip and gave him a sheepish look before looking down. "I didn't know how else to thank you…"

"Oh," he said, not understanding why he felt disappointed in her answer.

She glanced back up at him again, moving her arms to his shoulders, linking her fingers together behind his neck. "And also because I wanted to," she said softly.

Draco stared down at her, her cheeks tinged pink from either her admission or the hot water, he really wasn't sure, but he knew he wanted to kiss her, properly this time.

He dipped his head and let his lips brush against hers once, twice, before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers.

"What was that for?" she asked softly, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair at the nape of his neck, causing goosebumps to form on his skin.

"Because I wanted too," he said, pulling away and smirking down at her. "I've wanted to for a while, actually."

This time they both moved, their lips crashing into each other greedily and as soon as Draco traced her lips with his tongue, she opened for him without hesitation. He pulled back to pull off his wet shirt, tossing it onto the floor with a squelching sound.

His hands dug into her wet hair and pulled her to him once more, kissing her deeply and soundly, eliciting tiny moans from her mouth. Her hands ran up and down his chest, scratching lightly as she went and stopped at the buttons of his trousers, fumbling with the zipper.

"Wait wait wait," he pleaded, grasping onto her wrists, stilling her movements.

She gave him a confused look. "Did you not want—"

"Oh, I definitely want," he said, kissing her quickly. "But we should probably get out of the shower before all the hot water is gone and get you dried off. Plus, I did say that I wasn't trying to get into your knickers." He kissed her again, one filled with promise. "Yet."

Granger smiled at him and bit her lip, nodding her head. "Okay. Let's get dried off and get food in us. I can heat up—"

"No. Not you. You will be sitting in front of the fire, wrapped in a blanket and not lifting a finger," he said seriously, reaching behind her to turn off the water. He stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and putting it around her shoulders before getting his own. He dried off his torso, arms, and hair quickly and went out in the main area, rummaging through the trunk that he knew contained her clothes. He found a clean jumper, another pair of trousers, and thick socks and brought them back to her. He picked up his discarded snow trousers and jacket. "Stay in here and change," he said seriously. "It's warmer in here than out here. Once I get the fire going I'll come get you."

Granger nodded and he closed the door behind him, finally taking a breath.

What he wouldn't give for a glass of whiskey right about now.

* * *

Hermione stood dumbfounded in the shower, the towel around her shoulders and her hair dripping onto her arms. A cold shiver went through her which prompted her to start drying off and peel off the rest of her wet clothes and replace them with the dry ones that Draco had brought.

He failed to bring her a spare pair of knickers or bra, but she didn't really care. She wanted comfort and warmth and will worry about her underthings later.

She towel dried her hair as much as she could without the use of a hairdryer or her wand, hoping it wouldn't become a frizzy mess like it used to in her younger years.

Suddenly, she heard scraping outside the door, as if something large and heavy was being dragged across the room. Opening the door, she peered out and saw that Draco was pushing the sofa towards the fireplace so that they could sit and face the fire.

She smiled to herself, wondering when Draco Malfoy had become so caring as she watched him adjust the sofa a few times until it was in the right spot.

He glanced up then, surprised to see her. "All dry now?" he asked.

With a nod she exited the bathroom, the coldness in the room making her cross her arms over her chest. "Yes, thank you."

"Come and sit over here," he said, gesturing towards the sofa.

Grabbing the knitted blanket from across the sofa, he spread it over her shoulders as she neared and then pushed her lightly into a sitting position.

"I'll be right back with a cuppa," he said.

She wanted to argue with him, to have him sit down and relax with her, but she'd be lying to herself if she didn't think a mug of hot tea would be rather nice. So, she let him prepare her cuppa, adding the appropriate amount of sugar and bringing it to her carefully so as not to spill.

She took the mug in both of her hands, feeling the warmth radiating through the ceramic and onto her cold fingers. She blew on the top of the beverage, cooling it down and taking a tiny sip.

Draco turned to leave but she snatched his wrist.

"Stay?" she asked meekly.

He smiled down at her and nodded. "I will. I just need to grab my own."

Reluctantly, she let him go and curled up on the sofa, taking more tentative sips of her drink until Draco returned, plucking her cup from her hand and setting it on the side table next to his. Before she could ask what he was doing, he scooped her up into his arms, sat on the sofa, and placed her across his lap, tucking her head under his chin and his arms circled around her tiny frame.

Hermione sighed as she snuggled in further, basking in the warmth his body created against hers.

"How did you know what to do?" she asked quietly. "Out on the ice."

"I read a book on survival techniques," he said with a slight shrug. He jostled her slightly, reaching for her cuppa and handing it back to her before grabbing his own. She took a sip then rested the cup on her lap, her fingers playing with the design on the mug—a sea otter from an aquarium she visited when she was a child.

"So you've read books on fishing and survival," she mused. Finally, she looked up at him. "Why?"

Draco frowned. "I wasn't sure how things were going to go during the war and. I wanted to be prepared in case I had to go on the run. Since _he_ was basically controlling the Ministry at the time, I knew he could trace me, so I read up on how to do things the Muggle way." He took a sip of his tea. "One of the chapters was on hypothermia."

"You were planning to run away?" she asked, surprised.

"If Potter didn't succeed in killing Voldemort, yes. I was going to take my Mother and run. Probably to the States… somewhere far away."

Hermione lifted a hand to his cheek, his skin prickly from not shaving the past few days. "You keep surprising me, Draco Malfoy."

He turned his face and kissed her palm.

Hermione smiled shyly as she rested against him again, sipping her drink.

They sat in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, and soon Hermione felt her eyelids start to droop.

She didn't argue when Draco gently pried her mug from her hands and instead burrowed further into his chest, comforted by the faint scent that could only be described as _Draco_ – some combination of mint and a wooded scent that her brain couldn't quite recall the name of.

"You smell good," she murmured sleepily and she felt the slight rumble of his chest when he chuckled.

She drifted off to sleep, the weariness from nearly drowning and freezing to death finally catching up to her, and she didn't know if she dreamt it when she felt a kiss on the top of her head.

When she opened her eyes again, she was alone on the sofa, the blanket still wrapped around her and the fire still going. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around the room and found it empty, wondering where Draco had gone.

The front door opened and the blond wizard on her mind entered, carrying an armload of stuff and Hermione realized that it was all their belongings that they left out on the lake.

"You're awake," he said as he placed the items to the floor.

"How long was I asleep for?" she asked curiously, getting up and walking over to help him.

"You were asleep for about an hour before I went to retrieve our things," he said.

They set about putting everything away, finally gathering all of the wet clothes from the bathroom and hanging them to dry on a makeshift clothesline in front of the fire.

Draco had left the fish outside in the snow and grumbled about how she won the competition because there was a fish stuck on her hook when he went to grab the poles.

At the mention of fish, Hermione's stomach grumbled loudly and grimaced. "I should probably heat up the stew," she said.

"I'll do it," he offered.

"Draco, I'm fine, really. I'm just reheating the stew, not making a five course meal," she said.

"Fine, but I'm cooking the fish for dinner," he stated, leaving no room for argument.

Hermione had the decency not to roll her eyes until her back was turned away from him.

They ate their lunch on the sofa, the soft glow of the fire warming them up further. Hermione tried to fight off the feeling of taking yet another kip, but her eyes could barely stay open.

"I don't know why—" she yawned mid-sentence "— I'm so tired today," she said, resting her head on the arm of the sofa, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Probably just your body telling you to rest after such a traumatic event," Draco suggested with a shrug. "Go ahead and take a kip, Granger, I'll keep watch."

Hermione didn't even have time to thank him before she was asleep.

* * *

_She felt unbearably cold and couldn't breath._

_She opened her eyes and found that she was underwater. Panic set in as she kicked her legs, the fabric of water-logged clothes making it more difficult. When she reached the surface, she found it covered in solid ice. She tried to scream, but since she was underwater, no sound came out._

_A shadow formed overhead and she could barely make out that it belonged to Draco. She pounded on the ice with her fist, trying to gain his attention._

" _Granger?" he heard her say and she banged harder._

" _Granger?!... HERMIONE!"_

* * *

She woke with a start, taking in deep, gulping breaths as she quickly looked around.

She wasn't underwater, but in the cabin, safe and warm. Draco was kneeling in front of her, his hands on her face, trying to get her to calm down.

Hermione's eyes focused on his as she listened to his voice.

"It's okay; you're okay. Breath, Hermione. In and out. Slowly. That's it. It's ok, I've got you… I've got you.."

She closed her eyes and listened to his words, breathing as he instructed. When she felt she could breathe normally again, she opened her eyes and saw the concern in Draco's eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, finally removing his hands from her face.

Suddenly, she burst into tears and before she knew it, Draco swooped her into his arms and practically cradled her as he sat on the couch with her in his lap once more. She cried into his chest, leaving wet spots all over the borrowed jumper as he rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"Are you okay?" he repeated again when her sobbing subsided, turning into small hiccups instead.

Hermione shook her head. "I keep seeing myself underwater every time I close my eyes," she said with a shaky voice.

"What can I do to help?" he asked.

She looked up at him, his eyes still holding concern for her as they roamed her face. "Help me forget?" she whispered.

His lips twitched in the briefest of smirks before muttering, "As you wish."

He kissed her softly at first, a barely-there brush of his lips against hers, as if testing the waters before plundering forward.

Her head was still cradled in the crook of his arm so he lifted her slightly, giving him a better angle while she fisted the fabric of his jumper in her hands, pulling him even closer.

She didn't know who initiated it, but the kiss deepend, their tongues dancing along one another, exploring, tasting, devouring.

Hermione squeaked when he shifted her into a sitting position, his lips never leaving hers. When she sat on his lap, her legs straddling his hips, she lifted up, deepening the kiss even more.

She whimpered when he pulled back and closed her eyes when his forehead rested against her own.

"We ought to stop," he murmured. "Or else dinner will never be cooked."

Her hands had somehow ended up behind his neck, playing with the soft hairs at the base of it. "I suppose you're right."

"Have I at least succeeded in helping you forget?" he asked and she could hear his smirk though her eyes were still closed.

Huffing out a laugh, she finally leaned back and looked at him. "You did," she kissed his lips quickly. "Thank you."

A question formed in her mind, but contemplated if she should really ask. Draco must have seen her indecision on her face as he shifted her to the side and tucked her into him while asking "What's on your mind?"

Hermione bit her lip before looking up at him. "You said before that you had wanted to kiss me for a while now. Was that really true? Or were you just saying that to make me feel better about kissing you?"

Draco sighed softly and rested his head against the sofa. "The truth?"

"I'd prefer that, yes."

He turned his head slightly to look at her. "Yes. I've wanted to ask you out properly for a while now, which would then lead, hopefully, to said kissing."

"Then why haven't you?" she implored. "Ask me out, that is."  
Draco shook his head as his eyes left hers to gaze up at the ceiling, his finger twisting around one of her curls. "I didn't think you'd be interested, honestly."

Hermione blinked at him then let out a chuckle.

Draco frowned and turned his attention back to her. "What's funny?"

"Nothing," she said, waving him off. "It's just…. If I had known you didn't think I'd want to go out with you, then I would have asked you myself."

He tugged the curl at the same time his lips quirked. "So why didn't you? I thought you Gryffindor lot were brave?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and batted his hand away. "Because I didn't think you'd want to be involved with someone… someone like me."

Groaning, he shifted his body so he was facing her fully, pulling her face towards him with both hands. "I don't give a rat's arse about blood purity. I thought I made that perfectly clear before but let me do it again." He kissed her, hard and quick. "I stopped believing in that shite a long time ago."

She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Glad to hear it."

"Good." With one last kiss, Draco stood and headed towards the door.

"Where are you—"

But he returned seconds later, holding up a string fish. "Dinner," he said as he walked towards the kitchen. "Though I have no bloody idea how to do this the Muggle way."

Hermione chuckled and walked over to him. "I'll show you."

* * *

Draco watched as Hermione showed him how to scale the fish with one of the contraptions she pulled out from a kitchen drawer. When she handed him the device, he copied what she did and found that it was rather quite easy, if not disgusting.

Filleting and deboning didn't take long and soon the cabin smelled of cooked fish, seasoned with the few ingredients the cabin had to offer.

There was no more salad but Hermione found some potatoes in the pantry and she quickly set about cooking and mashing them.

They sat at the little table once more and Draco watched as Hermione took the first bite and felt relief when she smiled up at him.

"It's delicious!" she said, taking another bite.

Draco bit into his own fish and found it quite good indeed, though he knew he could do better if he were home and could season it better.

With dinner finished and the dishes washed and dried, they returned to the sofa, sitting side by side as Hermione rested her head on his shoulder while they each read a book.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the familiar chill started forming inside the cabin and Hermione got up to add a few more logs to the fire, bringing it roaring back to life.

Instead of sitting back next to him though, she plucked the book from his hand and straddled him once more.

He grinned at her, his hands resting on her hips. "Can I help you with something, Miss Granger?"

She smirked at him. "Perhaps."

Her lips were on his, kissing him slowly and sensually, and when his tongue probed, she opened, drinking him up greedily.

His hands roamed up slowly, giving her ample time to stop him if she wished, but with the way she pressed herself into him, he knew she wouldn't.

When his thumbs skimmed the underside of her breast, she let out a small shudder. When he brushed them against her pebbling nipple, she mewled.

"No bra?" he commented between kisses.

"Well," she said in her swotty voice, trailing kisses down his neck. "Someone didn't give me any underthings when he gave me a change of clothes."

He tweaked her nipple and she ground herself into him. "I'll have to make sure to thank him later."

"He also forgot something else," she whispered in his ear.

"Oh?" he asked breathily.

She took his hand and guided it down, past the hem of her sweatpants. He found her bare, and this time, he groaned.

"No knickers. What a travesty," he said, finding her wet and hot.

She lifted up on her knees as she kissed him again, her hands finding purchase in his hair as he worked her up— one hand rubbing her fast and furiously on her sensitive bud, the other pinching and pulling at her nipple.

She came with a shudder and a gasp, tensing under him until she collapsed on top of him, trailing slow, lazy kisses along his neck.

"That was… wow," she finally said, breathless.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said smugly.

Her fingers trailed to the hem of his own trousers, but he stopped her, bringing them to his lips where he kissed them. "You don't have too," he said quietly. "I didn't do that to get something in return."

She rested her forehead against his. "I know. But I want too," she said, her hands going back to their destination.

He hissed out a breath as her incredibly soft fingers found his length and stroked him, gently at first, gaining speed. She worked him up, sweeping her thumb along his weeping slit, when realization dawned on him.

"I don't…" he rasped. "I won't have magic to clean up after."

She stopped pumping, her forehead finally leaving his. "I guess I'll just have to make sure there's no mess then."

Before his brain could comprehend what she meant, she slipped down onto the floor. Still seated on the sofa, he watched as she pulled out his length and wrapped her lips around him.

He moaned, his head falling back against the sofa's cushions, as she brought him to the brink with her mouth and tongue. He was barely able to utter out a warning when he spilled inside of her.

She dutifully swallowed, wiping any remnants of his cum from her chin, before tucking him back into his trousers.

"There," she said. "No mess."

Draco couldn't help but chuckle, grabbing her by the waste and pulling her towards him.

He kissed her again, tasting himself on her tongue, and it was surprisingly exhilarating.

Granger pulled back and he chased her lips before realizing she was only leaning back to toss off her jumper.

He looked at her, with the glow of the fire behind her back and she looked ereatheral.

"You're stunning," he said, trailing a finger from her cheek to her chin, down her neck, to the underside of her breast.

Her face turned red, whether from the compliment or the heat of the fire he wasn't sure, but she surged forward, kissing him some more.

He turned them so that she laid on her back on the sofa while he hovered her. He kissed her again, his hands roaming, until she let out a hiss and pulled back suddenly.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, unsure what had happened.

He lifted off of her and she followed suit by sitting up, rubbing her back. "Yes, fine. Just a spring in my back."

"Ah, yes. I'm familiar with that spring," he said, moving aside so she could check out her wound.

"Just a scratch," she said after a quick inspection. She turned to him again, a playful smile on her face. "We can always put some blankets down and continue on the floor?" she suggested.

Draco laced his fingers with hers. "We should probably not go any further than we have," he suggested.

She frowned in confusion. "Why? I thought you were enjoying…"

He saw the embarrassment in her face and he cursed himself. "I was, very much," he reassured. "I just think…. With the day that you've had—nearly drowning and all—that maybe any big decisions shouldn't be made today."

She continued to frown.

"I don't want you to regret anything," he explained hurriedly.

"I wouldn't," she said, shaking her head.

He took her face in his hands again, kissed her softly. "We'll go on a proper date," he promised. "I'll wine and dine you; be my charming self. Woo you, as they say."

Granger chuckled at him before huffing out a breath. "And what if I don't want to wait that long," she asked.

"Impatient, are we witch?" he asked, squeezing her sides which caused her to giggle.

"Your motive is honourable," she admitted. "But, I'm fine, really."

Gods he wanted her. _Really_ wanted her. "Then at least wait until tomorrow. And if you still want too…"

"Then I'll just have my way with you," she said cheekily, grabbing her jumper and pulling it over her head, covering herself up.

"Damn," he murmured as the sight of her breasts were concealed once more.

Granger rolled her eyes. "I wasn't about to stay topless if we were done fooling around," she countered.

"I never said anything about not fooling around," he said, his hands back inside her jumper, and his mouth on hers again.


	4. Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me as I finish this short little fic! This is the last chapter and I hope you enjoy it!  
> Special thanks to TriDogMom for being my beta and alpha! You rock!!!

_**Day 4** _

Harry Potter sat dumbfounded in his office. The conversation he had with Hermione's superior was still fresh in his mind as his mind began to reel.

_Hermione's... dead?_

No. No, that can't be right. He just saw her last week! She _couldn't_ be just… gone.

And yet… The scroll on his desk was glowing, meaning that her magical core was no more; and so was Hermione.

Holding back the tears that threatened to fall, Harry finally reached for the scroll to open it, breaking the enchanted seal that could only be done by him.

> _Harry,  
>  If you're reading this, then it means I'm gone. You know how dangerous my job can be, and since you're my closest friend, I thought you should be the first to know if things were to ever go bad.  
> Please don't be sad. Know that I lived a very happy, full life, and I loved my job fiercely, even if it did mean my demise._
> 
> _If this scroll is glowing but my body is not recovered, you need to check my safe house to see if I am there. Most likely I got hit with a curse of some sort and went there to quarantine myself so as not to spread it._
> 
> _If I'm gone, then the curse cannot affect anyone else. No one knows of the location except me, and now you. Please read the address at the bottom of this scroll and take the portkey attached—it's the button magically spelled to the parchment. It will activate once you touch it._
> 
> _I love you, Harry Potter. You've been the brother I've never had. Give Ginny and the kids my love (because I'm sure by the time you read this, you would have at least two or three kids by now)._
> 
> _Don't grieve for me too long, alright? I'll see you on the other side._
> 
> _Love,  
> _ _Hermione_

Harry swiped at the tears that escaped, chuckling slightly at her words, and read the safe house's location while glancing at the button. He wondered briefly if he should grab Ron and have him go with him to the safehouse.

He shook his head. No, he'd do this himself.

He went to Robards to let him know of the situation and that he would likely be out the rest of the day, if not the week, preparing for his best friend's funeral.

Robards, who had already been briefed by Williamson after talking with Harry, nodded gravely and told him to take all the time he needed.

With a nod of thanks, Harry made his way out of the Ministry and into an alleyway where he could take out the scroll once more and touch the button, whisking him away.

The snow crunched under his boots as he landed and Harry took stock of where he was.  
He was surrounded by snow in the middle of a forest and there was a small log cabin in front of him with nothing else for probably miles around. With a fortifying breath, he walked towards the cabin, dreading what he would find inside.

But then, something caught his eye.

Footprints in the show that lead to the steps. Not fresh, but there was definitely an indentation in the snow that had to have been from the day before. With his brows furrowed, he looked up the cabin again and this time he noticed it: The chimney had smoke coming out of it!

"Hermione…" he said to himself, running towards the cabin and taking the steps in a single bound. He stopped in front of the door, wondering if he should knock or just walk in.

If Hermione really _was_ alive, then walking in would be rude, but if she were dead, then…. Well, no one would know he knocked besides himself.

So, with a muttered prayer, he lifted his fist and knocked.

* * *

Hermione's head was resting on top of Draco's chest while her arm was around his middle. One of her legs was draped over his and they were snuggled under the covers of the thick blanket.

They didn't do much more than snog a bit more the night before, with a little bit of fondling, before they both crawled into bed — fully clothed — and went to sleep. Something caused her to wake up, but in her sleep-addled confusion, she figured it was probably some sort of wildlife outside. Snuggling back into the warmth of Draco's warm body, he shifted slightly so that he was facing her and murmured a sleepy. "Morning" without even opening his eyes.

She smiled at him and used her fingers to move some of his hair away from his face.

"Morning," she replied softly.

He finally looked at her with half lidded eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said, giving his lips a quick peck before snuggling even closer. She swore she could feel his morning wood poke her stomach and bit back her grin. "Did you sleep well?"

His hand rubbed up and down her back lazily. "I did." He pulled her even closer. "I wouldn't mind staying in bed a while longer though."

His breath was husky and Hermione didn't waste time in kissing him again, opening her mouth when his tongue swiped at her lips. He shifted so he was hovering over her, his hands running down her side until it found the hem of her jumper. A warm hand encased her breast, kneading it gently, and she pressed herself into him as the kiss deepened. With desperate hands, she tugged at his own jumper, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the floor. He dragged the blanket over his shoulders, encasing them both before he devoured her lips once more. His hand moved down, into her sweat pants, and Hermione let out a moan when he cupped her heat.

_Knock knock knock._

They both froze.

"Was that…" she whispered.

_Knock knock knock._

They scrambled out of bed. Hermione ran to the door and opened it quickly, nearly squealing when she saw Harry on the other side.

"Harry!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

He hugged her back fiercely and mumbled into her hair, "Oh thank Merlin," he said. He pulled back, tears in his eyes. "Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again, Hermione Granger!"

"Oh, Harry," she said, hugging him again, "I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" he asked.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, when Draco spoke from behind. "As much as I am glad to see you Potter, can you please come in and close the door? The cabin is already cold enough."

Harry's mouth dropped open as he finally noticed Draco, who was just now pulling his jumper back over his head.

He looked between Hermione and Draco a few times. "What's Malfoy doing here?"

"Come on," Hermione said, grabbing her friends hand and leading him to the sofa. "I'll make us all a cuppa and explain everything."

"I'll do it," Draco said, walking up next to her and plating a kiss on her cheek. "You catch Potter up."

Hermione could feel her cheeks heat up, but smiled up at Draco and nodded. When she looked back at Harry, he raised a brow. "So… you and Malfoy?"

"Yes, but, that's a different story entirely," she said, chuckling.

Without preamble, Hermione dove into details about the curse and how it made her and Draco lose their magic.

Draco delivered the tea before sitting down next to Hermione and was quiet as Hermione talked.

"So you two have a few more days of no magic then?" Harry asked.

"Yes, hopefully by the end of the week we'll be back to normal. Now that you're here though, you can activate the floo for us so we can leave later on."

Harry's brows furrowed. "You don't want to leave now? I'd figured you'd want to get out of this cabin and into some warmer, not to mention _modern_ accommodations."

Hermione shrugged. "I want to pack up and make sure it's all in order before leaving."

Harry glanced over at Draco. "And you?"

"I'm not leaving until she does," Draco said simply. Hermione smiled at him and threaded her fingers with his before looking back to Harry.

"We'll be back in London shortly. I'll owl you."

Harry looked between the two of them for a second before shrugging. "Alright." Standing, he went over to the fireplace and activated the floo. Grabbing a handful of powder from the jar on the mantel, he turned back to Hermione. "Dinner tomorrow?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "I'll be there."

Harry glanced at Draco. "You're welcome to come too, Malfoy."

Draco's eyebrows briefly lifted in surprise before he schooled his features. "Thanks, Potter. I'll check my schedule."

"Right, well…. See you later," Harry said, then stepped into the small fireplace and disappeared within the green smoke.

Hermione bit her lip as he glanced at Draco. "Thank you for staying to help."

Draco smirked back and pulled her towards him, placing her on his lap. "I may have had ulterior motives."

Hermione grinned and shifted, placing her knees on either side of his hips. "Good, because I did as well."

"Shall we pick up where we left off?" he asked, his lips trailing open mouth kisses along her neck.

Hermione hummed in response, nodding. "Yes."

Draco stood, taking Hermione with him and her legs wrapped around his waist automatically, giggling at his urgency to get back to the bed.

He dropped her with a plop and was on her within seconds, his lips crashing down her own as his hands roamed all over.

Earlier, when they were just waking up, everything was slow, savoring every second. Now, it was fast and hurried, both of them pulling at the others clothes, only separating their lips to remove jumpers.

Hermione's hands dove into his pants and wasn't surprised to find him hard and ready. Fingers wrapping around him, she stroked up and down, earning muffled moans and groans as he kissed her.

He pumped into her hands for a moment before latching his lips to her neck and down her chest, taking in one of her nipples into his mouth. He bit gently, followed by a swipe of his tongue and Hermione arched into him.

"I need you, Draco," she said, her other hand running through his hair. "Please."

"Patience, witch," he said, trailing kisses down her stomach.

Hermione moaned when the pad of his tongue swiped at the heat over her knickers, causing her to buck up slightly.

Draco's thumbs hooked into the sides of her knickers, pulling them down her legs and tossing them over his shoulder. Placing her legs over each of his shoulders, he dove in, giving her no warning, his hands at her hips to keep her steady.

Her hand in his hair gripped tighter, earning a moan, and Hermione wondered briefly if he liked that. When he swiped at her core again, her other hand fisted into the sheets, feeling herself getting closer to the edge. She squirmed and panted, chanting _yes yes yes_ as Draco licked and sucked at her sensitive bud.

She saw stars behind her eyes and tried to catch her breath after she climaxed. Draco nosed and kissed the inside of her thigh before working his way back up to her mouth.

He kissed her slow and lazy, letting her catch her breath in the process. When her hands roamed once again, pushing his pants down over his bum, he stopped to look at her.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

"Never been more sure," she said.

Draco stood, letting his pants fall on the floor and Hermione sat up slightly to take in the view.

He was fit, she knew he would be, but seeing him stark naked in front of her confirmed it. Her eyes wandered, roaming over his form and landed straight at his cock, which was at full attention.

"My eyes are up here, Miss Granger," he tutted.

Hermione laughed and reached for his hand, pulling him on top of her and kissing him soundly.

She flipped them so she was on top, rubbing against him with her heat.

With one last searing kiss, she used her hand to guide him to entrance and slowly sunk down onto him.

" _Fuck_ , Hermione," he moaned.

His hands roamed up her sides, over her breasts, kneaded them as she started to move. She built up speed, knowing it wasn't going to be long before he came. Her fingers found her own center and she rub circles, fast and furiously, trying to catch up with him. He sat up slightly and sucked on her nipple and that was all she needed to bring her over the edge again. He followed her after, grunting his own release. She flopped on top of him, both of them panting as they caught their breath.

"Fuck," he rasped, breathlessly, and Hermione giggled into his chest.

He flipped them again, only pulling out when she was flat on her back.

"Stay here," he ordered.

With a questioning glance, she watched as he walked to the bathroom, turned on the tap water, then returned moments later with a wet washcloth.

"I usually use a cleaning spell," he said, laying beside her as he ran the rag between her legs. "But since I don't have my magic still, this will have to do."

"Thanks," she said shyly, taking the rag from him. "I'll finish this up. You should get dressed so we can head back. You're mother is probably worried sick—"

"Shite! My mother!" Draco said, standing abruptly from the bed. "I completely forgot."

He looked around the room, gathering his clothes and slipping his shorts back up.

"Let me use the loo and then I'll be ready in about ten minutes," Hermione said, slipping out of the bed.

She cleaned up and dressed quickly and the two of them worked together to gather all their belongings, stuffing them into her bag, before stepping into the fireplace together, hands clasped, calling out for Malfoy Manor.

* * *

_**One Year Later** _

The little cabin in the woods was quiet, the last inhabitants having left months ago. The inside had been updated, with a bedroom added and a bigger bathroom installed. The old sofa was replaced with a new one, with some newer hand-knitted blankets draped over the top, along with two comfortable armchairs that sat near the fireplace, perfect for reading.

The kitchen was stocked with food, all remaining under a stasis in case the need for them ever rose again, and the old appliances were all replaced with newer ones.

Sunlight drifted in through the windows, lighting up the small room in areas while others remained in shadows. Dust particles could be seen floating in the sunbeams, but disappeared as soon as they hit any surface area — another trick of magic that was spread about the cabin.

Muggle heating and cooling had been installed the previous summer, as well electricity.

The fireplace had an upgrade as well, enlarged so that an average height person could easily duck in and out without fear of hitting their head.

The logs were cold from lack of use, and some snow had drifted down from the chimney, giving them a glistening, shimmering look.

Suddenly, they were engulfed in green flames as two people stepped out, hands clasped together as they took in their surroundings.

"It's so different," Hermione mused, looking around.

"It is," Draco agreed, bringing her hand to his lips where he gave her a gentle kiss. "And now when we get stuck here again, we'll be much better prepared."

Hermione chuckled and rolled her eyes as he brought her close, her hands linking together behind his neck while he rested his on her waist.

"Well, I doubt that will ever happen since this can no longer be my safehouse. Too many people know about it," she said, smirking up at him.

"Your boyfriend _should_ know where your safehouse is," Draco argued. They'd been over this before, and he knew it was part of her job to have an undisclosed safehouse, but it didn't mean he liked it.

Hermione sighed and gave him a quick kiss. "You know I can't change the rules." She stepped back and out of his hold, placing down their overnight bag onto the sofa. "I'm actually surprised you chose this place for our weekend getaway."

"Well," he said, walking over to her. "This _is_ our anniversary of when we started our relationship. I figured it was only fitting we celebrated it here."

Taking his wand out of his pocket, he flicked it towards the music player and soon the room was filled with a soft, slow melody.

Hermione quirked a brow at him, a habit she clearly picked up from him. "What are you up too, Draco Malfoy?"

He gave her an innocent look, taking her hands again and guiding her into a slow dance. "I was thinking," he said, swaying with her to the music. "About how this would be the perfect place."

Hermione looked up at him questioningly. "For what?"

"To marry the love of my life," he said.

Hermione let out a little gasp as Draco pulled out a velvet box from his pocket. His heart was hammering in his chest, not because he was afraid she would say no, but because he couldn't wait to marry this witch and make her his.

Still standing, he opened the box and presented it to Hermione, who's eyes were filled with unshed tears. "Hermione Jean Grang—"

"Yes!" she said

"You didn't let me finish the question," he admonished playfully.

"Sorry," she said, biting her lip, "Though, shouldn't you be down on one knee and asking me properly? What would your mother say?" she teased.

Draco smirked before going down on one knee. "Hermione Jean Gr—"

She tackled him to the floor, kissing him with such ferocity that he momentarily forgot what he was trying to do.  
"Yes," she said. "A thousand times yes."

Draco smiled against her lips. "Can I at least get the whole question out?"

Hermione giggled and they both got up from the floor. Draco opened the box again where a simple, yet elegant ring lay inside.

"Hermione," he said, taking her hand, slipping the ring onto her finger as he finally asked, "Will you marry me?"

Hermione held up the ring in the sunlight, her eyes sparkling like the diamond within it.

"I will," she said, finally looking back at him. "On one condition."

"Anything," he vowed.

She leaned forward and kissed him sweetly. "We get married here, by the lake. In the spring, when the trees are green and the flowers are in bloom."

"And when you can't fall into the frozen lake," he added, tugging on one of her curls.

Hermione groaned at the memory, then looked at him with a smirk on her lips. "Have I thanked you properly for saving my life?"

Draco grinned at her and lifted her up, carrying her towards the bedroom door. "Not _today_."

**~The End~**


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